Kull Rider
by Learnor
Summary: Utumros is a Kull, and he is one of the few of the Urgals who can work with magic. What if he were to become Rider, and what is his secret about his past?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Many arrivals.

A sound made me look around. What was that sound? I hadn't heard it in a long time. When had I heard it before? In Ceunon. At the palace of my… No! You left this part of your life behind you. Do not think about what has happened! Anyway, what sound was that? An elven horn. It blew again, a longer blast this time. I should warn my uncle and village that they were approaching. Finally, they have come. We had expected them two days ago. But that does not matter too much. I have to get to the village. But the sound of the horn had awoken many things in me.

I know where they are going. They will set up camp on the eastern forest clearing. That is the only place where you have enough space for such a group. And with all the royalties and the two dragons, it will still be crowded. Two dragons have arrived, and hopefully they will leave with a third. For that is why they have come. The last chance for us, Urgralgra, to get a Rider. The dragon inside it's egg has not hatched for nearly two years. Could it be then that this time we will get a Rider? For the last time they all gathered I was not there. I was still at… NO! You have to not think about your past! All of the Urgal younglings have gathered here to see if there is anyone who could be a Rider. But might I be the one to hatch the egg? There are better candidates than me. There is sure to be someone who is worthy. One who has defeated more rams than me, and one who is more respected by our people because he has not magic abilities. I have, and that's why I am almost on my own here. I am one of the few Urgralgra who can work with magic. And I am looked down upon by that. Here, battle prowess is what counts, not many else.

While all these things are going through my head, I head to the camp that is being built. Not only the two dragon Riders are here, but also the nobles of every race: queen Nausuda of the Empire, king Orrin of Surda, lord Risthart of Teirm, as well as queen Arya of the elves, a Rider and protector of the last egg, and her dragon Fírnen, and king Orik of the thirteen dwarven clans, with their Rider and dragon, Ozuna and Nazada. All are here to witness the coming of the next dragon Rider, first of the Urgals in the New Rider Order.

As I stand in front of the camp, someone speaks to me: 'Kull, are you of the village of Rigbat-Ûr? Could you warn your leaders that we have arrived?'

I look around me to see who asked that of me.

'Atra ersterni ono thelduin, Arya Drottïng.' I say, as I bowed before the elven queen.

A smile went up her face, when she said: 'Atra du everinya ono varda.'

'Un atra mor'ranr lifu unn hjarta onr.'

'May I ask, Kull, when you have learned our greeting rituals?'

'Of course, my lady. My uncle has learned me the proper ways to greet other races. Besides, I am one of the few of us who can use magic. I am just a beginner though. The ways of magic are harsh sometimes, but my uncle knows that a study of the ancient language is a great way of learning more about magic.'

A deep but young voice came into my head. I tried to set up my barriers, but realised that he had already passed them. 'You are still a youngling with magic, as I am still young in this world. Never forget to have some barriers up, otherwise a more experienced spell caster will use your power to harm those who you love.'

'May the sun and winds be always at your back, Fírnen-elda. I will not forget this lesson. I will always remember the lessons of the elves.'

'Why do you say that Kull, what has happened? By the way, tell me your name and that of your uncle.'

'My name is Utumros, Fírnen-elda, and my uncle is Nar Gahrzvog. But I will always be grateful to the elves because they rescued me out of Ceunon.' I felt bad to say this, because I never told anyone about my past. Fírnen went out of my head when he realised this, and I put up my barriers quickly. 'I will be part of the new Rider ceremony. In my uncle's name, welcome to Rigbat-Ûr, dragon and Rider.'

'Sé onr sverda nitja hvass, Utumros-finiarel.' Arya said, and she walked to Fírnen, who had just landed.

 **The ancient language:**

Atra ersterni ono thelduin, Arya Drottïng.: May good fortune rule over you, queen Arya.

Atra du everinya ono varda. : And may the stars watch over you.

Un atra mor'ranr lifu unn hjarta onr. : May peace live in your heart.

-elda : gender-neutral honorific of great praise.

Sé onr sverda nitja hvass, Utumros-finiarel. : May your sword stay sharp, Utumros.

-finiarel : an honorific phrase for a young man of great promise.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Another visits.

I made my way back towards Rigbat-Ûr. I thought about the meeting that I had with the elven queen. Both the queen and her dragon had been very kind to me. Most of that was expected, for she was an elf and he a dragon, but the truth of their words had struck me. The way they talked to me felt so comfortable, as if I was one of their friends; though we had not met before. It made me feel accepted in a lot of ways. They had reacted surprised when I brought up my magic use, which I had expected, but then they accepted it, and that felt very good. Normally people would scold at that, but not them. For they knew magic had bonded them together, and nothing else would have done the same. I was so lost in thought, I lost the way. I had taken a different direction, and was now on my way towards the river, instead of the village. I could reach the village no problem, but then I had to climb the stone cliffs next to the river, which could be a bit dangerous. I did not worry about that, for I had done that a few times before. I came closer to the cliffs, and then I stopped. I saw a great deer lying next to the cliffs.

It was dead, and something had eaten from it. Not a humanoid being, at least. A Fanghur? It sure looked like it, but there were not many Fanghurs in this region. Then I heard a roar. Such a roar, could it be a dragon? No, Fírnen and Nazada were too far away to hear. It had to be something else. What could it be? Then in the corner of my eye, I saw a red dragon gliding towards were I stood. A red dragon, that had to be Thorn, and with him Murtagh. I put up my barriers, and waited. Almost instantly two minds touched mine. Finding my barriers, they broke not through them, but retreated. Instead, Murtagh called to me: 'What is your name, Kull, and what are you doing here?'

'My name is Utumros, and why are both of you here, Murtagh and Thorn? Here for the Choosing Ceremony? Why are you not with the official convoy?'

Surprised that I knew their names, they landed first, and Thorn answered: 'We are on our own, Utumros, not aligned with anyone but ourselves. That's why we came alone. But tell me more. Who are you?'

'I am the nephew of Nar Garhzvog. I am on my way towards my village, Rigbat-Ûr, where the Choosing Ceremony will be held. Have you come for it?'

'That is why we are here, Kull. How do you have such a powerful shielding? It is uncommon for anyone but the elves and Riders.'

'That is because I am one of the few rams who can use magic in my tribe. I have learned it from the elves.'

Murtagh dismounted and came to me. His red sword, Zar'roc, was at his side. He wore steel armour, battered because of his journeys, and leather boots, which were in bad shape. 'So, you have learned from the elves. How is that?' I was surprised he asked me that, for his voice was harsh and his mind seemed to be filled with hardships alone. 'Come, sit and eat. I have food with me. I see that your mind is suffering, and I don't want that to determine your life. I have suffered too much to let anyone have the same feelings and not talk about it. What is it that has happened? Me and Thorn are the only ones around here, and if you want you can tell it with your mind only. But explain, tell about it. That is the best way to relieve your burden.' I went silent for a moment. His intentions seemed to be true, but how could I know? The moment I talked, he could enter my mind without opposition. 'Why do you say that? Why should I tell you anything about my past? We don't even know each other yet. How can I tell you anything if I don't know if you will not tell it to anyone else?' He was taken aback a moment, and then he answered: 'I swear I will keep this between us. The same goes for Thorn.'

'Can you repeat that in the ancient language?'

'I will: Eka thorta du ilumëo! Atra nosu waíse fricai. Atra nosu waíse vardo fra eld hórnya. Do you want to start now?'

'I will.'

 **The ancient language:**

Eka thorta du ilumëo! : I speak the truth!

Atra nosu waíse fricai. : Let us be friends.

Atra nosu waíse vardo fra eld hórnya. : May we be warded from listeners.

These translations come from .com.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A look in the past

I waited a moment to gather my thoughts, and then I began:

'First, as I already told you, my name is Utumros, and my uncle is Nar Garhzvog. I am one of the few of our race to be able to use magic. You have to know that the use of magic is looked down upon by our species. Battle prowess, that counts, not much else. There my story begins. At young age, it became clear that I could use magic. My father and uncle saw my potential, but the danger of it more. When a family member has bad reputation, it will affect the whole family, and in my case, it would weaken the power of my uncle with our tribe, causing pretenders to rise and such. Back to me. My dad warned me to not speak about my gift to the Urgralgra. Back then, I could do nothing with it, since I knew nothing of the ancient language. But having the skill is enough to downgrade your reputation.

At that time, our tribes expanded rapidly. Many younglings came, and each tribe fought against each other for territory for the children. Eventually, this warring came to a halt, because our Herndall saw that it was wiser to be at peace with each other, with the Empire being so strong. We made a treaty with the Empire for food and land. Galbatorix agreed, on the condition that we would provide soldiers for his armies, which he would not use to attack us. Both parties benefitted from this, but Galbatorix became greedier, asking for more soldiers in return for land that he would conquer. Many of our rams agreed, for it is an honour to fight for an ally. Then the first problems arose. Rams from hostile tribes had to fight next to each other. This resulted into bloodbaths for Galbatorix' armies. That is when and why he sent Durza.'

I paused for a moment, thinking of all the damage he had done. Murtagh used that time to ask a question: 'So, magic is seen low in the Urgal society. But you are Kull, would that not help?'

'Being a Kull helps your reputation a bit when you have defeated a lot of rams, but as one who has defeated few, you look too weak to be a Kull. Like I said, battle prowess counts.

Continuing with my story, Durza came. He manipulated the Herndall to make a declaration of peace between our tribes. Back then, it was believed, and the Empire's armies functioned better. However, he personally led raids against unguarded villages, to enslave the promising rams and those who are family members of the leaders, to discourage the spirit of rebellion. I was captured as well. My uncle feared for my life, but had to join his warriors in the fight against Farthen Dûr.'

'I was there as well. All the Urgals there fought for their own, at least, that is what I've seen.'

'Indeed, that was Durza's new strategy, to let every village fight separately. That worked out very well. In the meantime, I was taken to Ceunon. I became the slave of the jarl in charge there and was forced to swear fealty to him in the ancient language. I had to help expand his palace, and carry all the beams and marble and so on. I thought I was strong, but I was exhausted after a week of that heavy work. For that, I got my first punishment by the jarl's house magician, which was specialised in torture by fire. He was the worst of them all, but after a month he let me forge a blade, and when I had done that, he made me fulltime smith. I learned to enjoy it, for I now had some variety in my work. However, he always kept an eye on me when I was working and at least two guards were with him all the time. This went on for about half a year. But one day, I felt another mind touch mine. I was walking towards the mine to get some more iron ore. I kept walking on while the mind spoke to me. It was an elf, asking me who I was. I told her and then she brought me hopeful news: she was the scout of the elven army who was about to advance. She told me that she could contact my uncle and get me out of there. She told me that the Urgals had a major defeat at Farthen Dûr, but Durza was killed in the attempt. I told her to urge my uncle to join the Varden, and to tell him that I was alive.

Later I heard that she did that immediately and so the Urgals joined the Varden at the battle of the Burning Plains. That is where you killed king Hrothgar, didn't you?'

Thorn answered: 'It was my Rider's hand, but Galbatorix' command and spell. We both regret it every day. That the Urgals had betrayed him, had angered him to the point of almost direct intervention, which would have been a disaster for the Varden if he did. We managed to sway him, but he still intervened when killing Hrothgar.'

'It must have been a difficult time for you back then. But from this point on, my story is less dark. The conversation with the elf meant a revival for my magic. She thought in the ancient language, of course, and that enabled me to perform very basic magic. We had contact a few times after that day, and every time she learned me more about magic. She had to return to the elven army and we decided that she would contact me again if they were about to attack Ceunon. The magician noticed some activity though, but he thought that it meant no harm, since an elven slave had been brought in some time before. The next weeks, some things started to stand out to me. First, our rations became less. Secondly, I had to make a lot more weapons and armour than before. Thirdly, a few of the guards left the palace, and those who remained became more nervous and punished more. This could only mean Ceunon was preparing for a siege. One day, the elf contacted me again. In two days, the elves would attack. I gave her all my information regarding the jarl and the city that I knew. That was not the best decision, for my production slowed down. The magician took me to a torture room and branded me. Right between my horns, the symbol of the Empire. Due to the pain and shock, I went unconscious. However, I was still connected with the elf, and she had shielded some of the pain for me. When I awoke, the magician came to me again, with two guards. He wanted to brand me again, but the elf looked through my eyes and, with minds connected, we casted a spell. The magician was unable to move, and I felt a battle rage come over me. I took the swords from the confused guards and killed them all right there. I went to slave quarters, killing any guard who stood in my way and woke the other slaves. We went to the palace armoury and armed ourselves. I still had the two swords from the guards and took a bow and quiver. At that moment, the elves attacked. Me and my group locked down the palace, and locked the jarl up in his bedroom. We could commit him no harm, since we were forced to swear an oath when we became his slaves. We could kill many Imperial soldiers with our bows though, which we did. The elven assault was very successful. With their magic, they went over the walls and overcame the remaining guards no problem. They took all who had sworn an oath to Galbatorix prisoner and those who had sworn another oath, like us, had to stay inside the city until Galbatorix himself was killed and our oaths were released. I was brought to an elven healer, which healed all my scars except the brand. I wanted to keep that as a memory. The healer healed enough that there was no risk of infection. She helped me contact my uncle and dad. I told them that I wanted to stay and learn more magic from the elves. They agreed. After that, I went looking for the elven scout. I found her in the armoury and I finally got to know her name. She was called Arana. We spent a lot of time together and when I was released of my oath by Eragon after Galbatorix was killed, she took me to Du Weldenvarden, and teached me a lot about the ancient language, magic and fighting. I preferred the two swords and bow which I had used in my 'rebellion' against the jarl. After a year and a half, I wanted to go home, and as a gift, she gave me two elven blades and her own bow. Then I went home and after two and a half years I could finally see my family again. I returned half a year ago, and have not left since then. I still keep in touch with Arana, and only use those weapons she gave me. This is my story.'

We all were silent for a few minutes.

'Many things have happened to you,' Murtagh said, 'and I thank you for being so honest. Do not forget you past, but focus more on your future. Be still careful with magic. I think it is best for you to head to your village now.'


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Mae govannen, mellon nin... Wait, sorry, different universe. Quenya is not the same as the Ancient Language. Here I am again with another chapter. It took a while, but now I have a better idea of where this story is going. As for the review of Seaofgioy, I will indeed make a chapter with all the expressions in different languages and update it every time. On forehand, the writing style may be a bit different than my other chapters, I hope that doesn't affect you guys too much.**

Chapter 4: Renewed

Finally, I had returned to Rigbat-Ûr. Thorn agreed to fly me on top of the cliffs, and I made my way back with no troubles. The sun was already setting when I arrived. I guess father had been a bit worried by my late arrival, so I went to his house. He was waiting for me outside:

'Evening son. Why were you gone so long? Was it because of the arrival of the Convoy? Other scouts have reported them arriving.'

'I arrived late because of the Convoy, father. I'm sorry if I kept you waiting. But I've got to report to Nar Garzhvog first, then I'll tell you everything.'

'All right, go to Garzhvog now and when you're back I'll have a meal ready.'

I said my thanks and went looking for my uncle. He was standing near the fighting pit, next to him were Skgahgrezh and Yarbog. He was watching a late duel, between a Kull and an Urgal, the latter dam close to my age. They both fought with an axe. Although the Kull was bigger, the Urgal, Yizbar, had better skill. The fight was close to the end. When I arrived, Yizbar hit the hilt of his opponents' axe hard, which broke. With a few more swings, he disarmed him completely and held his axe against his throat. Then Nar Garzhvog bellowed:

'Enough now, Yizbar. To the point of surrender and no more. Do you accept it, Garmesh?'

'I accept', he said. 'Please let me go before anyone else sees this defeat.'

'Garmesh, I have seen this one. It will not be forgotten. Live with it, later you might have another chance. It was a nice duel, both of you. Good work. Go towards your houses now, we have plans for tomorrow and I would not see them ruined by you.' My uncle said. Then he noticed me.

'Nephew, good to see you! Your father was worried when you did not return at the regular time. You're here now, so that doesn't matter. What do you have to report to come to me? I know the Convoy has arrived, so what else has happened.'

'Greetings Nar Garzhvog. If I may give my report in private, that would be better.'

'Sure, follow me. Blood brother, will you see to the preparations of tomorrow? I will join you when I have the time.' After he said that, I followed my uncle under his Namna and into his house. There he asked what had happened. I told him what had happened today, including the meeting with the red dragon and his Rider, and I added:

'The arrival of Murtagh and Thorn is yet unknown to the leaders of the Convoy. I guess it would be best to not tell them anything of him. Let him choose his moment to arrive. Neither would it be a good idea to let our tribe know of his arrival. Tensions are already high, and when they know he is here, things might get out of hand. This is my suggestion of course.'

´Good you brought me this news, nephew. I will do as you say and not tell our people of Murtagh and Thorn being here. I still hold some kind of grudges against him, even after all this time. Tomorrow we´ll greet the Convoy, our way. Go and rest now. You will need it. And don´t tell it anyone, but I think you are the one who will become Rider.´

With these words he sent me home. Why saw he such potential in me? All that counts is favour in battle, is it not? But dragons may be looking at other things.

I thought about Fírnen and Thorn, how they respected me for my magic abilities. Then I remembered one of the things Arana told me during my training in Du Weldenvarden:

 _Dragons were the first inhabitants of Alagaësia. They live from the magic in this world. They can´t live without it. Remember that when you see a dragon. They will respect you for using magic and that will let you stand out among others._

That must be what they all mean. I stand out because of my magic!

This thought changed a lot in me. I no longer thought of magic use as a shame, but as a gift. How many rams I had defeated mattered very little now. My magic was a gift and I had to use it. Many of my tribe were against magic use because of the fear that Durza had instilled in that dark period of our lives. But neither Durza, nor his master were here. We had been slaves, but now we are free. Why cower in fear when there is nothing to fear? Magic had many good uses as well. That is what Firesword and Flametongue proved when they defeated Galbatorix. When they reinstituted the Rider Order. When they enabled Dwarves and Urgralgra to become Riders. That I was willing to prove.

I returned to my parent´s house again. My dam was already abed, and father stood by the forge. He was one of the blacksmiths of our tribe, and he just finished forging a sword when I told him what Nar Garhzvog told me. We both laughed, because our greeting would hopefully make for some excitement. Then my father said goodbye for the night, and I went to sleep as well.

The next morning I rose early. Not only me, the entire village had. We all prepared the last things for the great welcoming feast. I went towards the clearing where the Convoy had arrived. It was my job to warn the others when the Convoy would arrive. I scouted out the camp and saw the emerald dragon lying next to a great tent, no doubt the tent of Queen Arya, where the egg was being guarded. His mind reached out to me:

'Good morning, Utumros-finariel. You are up early. Why is that?'

I replied in my head: 'Greetings Fírnen-elda. I have come to ask something.'

'Oh, what is it, magic user?'

'I would ask if you, Ebrithil, would not spoil anything of our welcoming feast towards your Rider. You might notice some things that others will not, although the elves might notice these things sooner than the men or dwarves. It will not be of any harm towards them of course, but if you would tell them about it, it would ruin some fun.'

Fírnen chuckled a bit: 'Not tell my Rider anything… that might be fun indeed. I agree with your plan. I will not spoil anything but I will see you again later today.'

'Thank you, Skulblaka. May the winds and sun be at your back, Fírnen-elda. Until later today.'

I returned once again towards Rigbat-Ûr and reported the situation. My uncle gave the sign and everyone moved towards the clearing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Welcoming committee.

When I say everyone, I mean everyone. At least three hundred and fifty Urgralgra rams had gathered for the Choosing Ceremony and almost all of them had agreed to be a part of the welcoming committee. This was not the entire Urgal force but all clans had sent representatives together with the young cubs who came for the Ceremony. So this was a gathering of all the most promising and most proven warriors. So, all of us headed for the clearing. We tried to be stealthy, to not let the Convoy know in advance that we were surrounding them. That is why I contacted Fírnen earlier this morning. I wouldn't want a dragon to notice us moving towards the clearing and thinking that we would be an attack force. Things would get very complicated then.

Three hundred and fifty Urgal rams trying to be stealthy. Chances of success: not very high. But somehow we managed to pull it off. Probably because Fírnen snored very loud, and Nazada as well. I hoped that the emerald dragon had warned the purple one, and it seemed he had. No elven guards were to be seen, and the human and dwarven guards seemed tired form the night. Slowly our forces spread out and surrounded the clearing from all sides. I was placed in the direction where Thorn and Murtagh could approach, so I could send them the no-harm message quickly if needed. I checked if the rams on my side were in position by quickly touching their minds. I had explained what I would do on forehand, so they wouldn't be very surprised. They agreed reluctantly, for they understood it was the best in the situation, but not wholeheartedly. I had asked them to just think of being ready, so I could read that quickly. I tried to not go with my thoughts towards the camp, for surely some of the elves would notice me if I did that. When all were ready, I signalled my uncle's mind that our side was in position. A few moments later, an Urgal sounded the horn, deep and hard. The guards quickly looked around and nervously drew their weapons. We heard a lot of people waking up and getting out of their tents, weapons in hand. Then we began.

One moment, all was quiet, the next a horn was being sounded and an instant later a great wall of sound approaches from all sides. All of the rams bellowed as hard and long as they could, like they would challenge the members of the Convoy to a fight. Not that it was our intention for them to fight us, we just wanted to surprise them. That worked very well. But I stayed silent, as I felt for the magic around me and I tried to notice if any spellcasters tried to use their magic to defend themselves or, worse, tried to attack us to stop the sound. I saw an elf beginning a spell and in a response to that I chanted:

'Brakka i vanyali!'

However, just before I released the magic to reduce magic, I felt two great minds touch all spellcasters in the area. It were the minds of the dragons. They urged all to let go of any magic. The elves stopped their spells and the rams still bellowed until they were out of air.

The members of the Convoy were in shock. A few moments after that, when we regained our breaths, all began to laugh. First the queen of the elves. Then a few elves joined. Then the dragons. Then all of us and the rest of the elves. Then, at last, the men and dwarves. This laughter was louder than all the sound we had made before. My uncle's booming laughter was the loudest, but the dragons' rumbles were the heaviest and let the ground shake.

All laughed for a good five minutes, including myself. For the fact that Urgals startled elves. For the absurdness of the situation. For the fun that the dragons had. For the fact that we had bested elves in stealth. For the fact that dwarves were taken by surprise. And for all the other reasons we could laugh at that moment. Our ears and mouths were relieved when we stopped laughing because we had no air left.

Then my uncle started the next part. He came forward and greeted all the leaders of the Convoy in their proper ways:

'Lady Nightstalker, it is an honour to see you again!'

She came forward, out of the circle of Nighthawks guarding her. (The Urgals with the Nighthawks had no clue that we would greet them like this, but they were the ones most resilient to the war cry, obviously.)

'Nar Garhzvog, good to see you too. You really gave me a wake-up call this morning.'

My uncle chuckled. 'Wake-up call? This is an official war cry! Though it was not meant to provoke war.'

'So, war was not your intention?' A sharp voice came from the elven queen, who came forward. 'It sounded really like it. If not for Fírnen and the ability to read you minds, we would have killed you.'

Nar Garhzvog turned to Arya: 'That is why I made sure that the dragons would understand our true purpose.'

Fírnen and Nazada rumbled in approval. Arya faced her emerald partner and seemed to have a conversation. Arya was shocked and in the eyes of Fírnen shone amusement.

'However,' my uncle continued 'welcome, all of you, to Rigbat-Ûr. King Orik and Rider Ozuna, King Orrin, Lord Risthart and Earl Stronghammer. Please, follow us. Inside the village, we will have games and a feast for your arrival. Then, at the time of noon, the Ceremony can begin.'

The leaders agreed and within half an hour, all had entered the village.

The games were great. Around a hundred Urgals and Kull participated, including me. I made it towards the semi-finals, where I had to best Yarbog, the one who was bested by Stronghammer. I lost to him. I felt the sting of defeat, but for me, it didn't matter too much. I had subdued four others and that was my goal. Yarbog became the winner of the games. He called out for Roran to come and fight him, but he was nowhere to be seen. After the fights, the feast began.

The feast was great, with all of the races contributing towards the food. The elves sat a bit apart from the rest, since they could not stand the smells of meat as much. All had a fun time. Yarbog found Roran sitting by the fire and challenged him. Then Roran made a counter proposal to a drinking contest. They accepted and both drank half a barrel until they passed out. It was a draw, but fun for all of us to see.

After the feast, the village square was cleaned and all was prepared for the Ceremony. In front of the Herndall hut a wooden platform was erected. On there, a carved wooden table was placed. Surrounding the table were the so-called honour guards: Queen Arya, Earl Stronghammer, King Orik and Nar Garzhvog, each representing their individual races. They would make sure the Ceremony remained orderly and they would keep the egg safe.

At noon, all Urgal younglings were gathered. Around two hundred of them were assembled. We were ordered in lines for the first part, which would be explained later. This caused a bit of trouble when I was put somewhere in the middle. A few Urgals noticed me and began commenting on my wrong placement for I was inferior in their eyes, all because of my magic.

'Move it, magic user. You do not belong here. Get towards the back where you belong.' One of them said to me, like I was bested by him.

I listened to the comments, yet remained where I stood. 'I mean it, get moving. You with your elven training have no place here.' He then started to lower his head. I saw this and rumbled in response. I looked down upon him, since he was more than a foot smaller than me.

I snorted. 'I won't give up this place for that reason. If you want to become Rider you get to use magic anyway.'

During this encounter, other Urgals had noticed the tension and made room for us. Soon, an open space had been cleared for us. He looked around and saw a few Urgals with the same attitude as him. 'I challenge you right here. As we stand at the moment.'

'Bring it then.'

All of the square had become silent then. After one was challenged, no one could intervene until the fight was over. We both gave out a war cry, mine longer than his.

Right after my war cry ended, he charged me. I was still recovering my breath, but I had expected that. Just before he could horn me, I took his outstretched arms and turned my back towards him. Then I threw him over my back. Thus I redirected his force towards the ground. I used his own force to land atop of him, preventing him from moving his lower body. Quickly I forced his arms towards the sides and held them into place. Then I put my horn between his chin and neck. He laid there, shocked in my reaction to his lunge, and held up his chin. The challenger had been defeated in less than a minute. I held him in this position for a bit longer and then let go.

He stood up quickly, giving me foul looks, as well as a few others. But that was all they could do. I had already bested my challenger and anyone who was angry would not fight me for his honour. I remained where I stood and I seemed to be a bit more respected.

After all had settled down, queen Arya came forward and spoke: 'You all have gathered here before the Ceremony today. Due to the process of the Ceremony, it will take longer before the Rider is chosen then today. Let me explain it to you. First, all younglings will come forward and touch the egg for five minutes. This will give the dragon inside the egg a quick first impression of everybody. The dragon inside is male, and does partially understand Urgalish, but it can communicate with the outside world with its mind. When that part is over, all of you may have the egg for four hours. During that time, you may do as much as you want to do in that time period. If you leave this place, we honour guards will go with you to ensure the safety of the dragon inside. This part will take the longest, but it will give the dragon inside time to think if you will make a good Rider. During this time, the others can do what they want. If the egg starts to break, nobody may touch the dragon except the one for whom he has hatched for. If you are not chosen during that time, you can leave. If you are, that means that you will be the next Rider. This will give you magic abilities and a life-long connection to your dragon.'

Then she held up the egg for all of us to see. The egg's scale was white, almost silver-like. On the lower half, some dark grey stripes could be seen, almost black. She put the egg on the table. After her last message, many among us began to whisper amongst each other. The honour for being a Rider seemed to shrink a little because of the magic abilities. I had known it for a long time, since my first weeks after my training in Du Weldenvarden. Magic was a useful asset, but awakened a fear in our people since the things Durza the Shade did use it for terrible things.

The elven queen asked for silence again. 'If all are ready, let the Ceremony begin!' Just as the first Kull came forward, the roar of a dragon was heard.


	6. All languages and their translations

**All different languages used:**

 **The Ancient (Elven) language:**

The greeting:

Atra ersterni ono thelduin – May good fortune rule over you.

Atra du everinya ono varda – And may the stars watch over you.

Un atra mor'ranr lifu unn hjarta onr – May peace live in your heart.

Honorifics:

-elda – gender-neutral honorific of great praise.

-finariel – an honorific phrase for a young man of great promise.

Ebrithil – master.

Drottïng – queen.

Others:  
Sé onr sverdar nitja hvass. – May your swords stay sharp.

Eka thorta du ilumëo. – I will speak the truth.

Atra nosu waíse fricai. – Let us be friends.

Atra nosu waíse vardo fra eld hórnya. – May we be warded from listeners.

Skulblaka – Dragon.

Brakka i vanyali! - Reduce the magic!

 **The Urgralgra language:**

Namna: a piece of cloth, woven with bright threads, that represents the history of the Urgal family.


End file.
